FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. —It started in 2020 with a persistent, frustrating question inside the U.S. Army Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate: What makes officers and noncommissioned officers want to read doctrine?
Today, as CADD’s “Breaking Doctrine” podcast celebrates 100 episodes, the creators would say the answer is clear. Don’t just ask them to read it; talk to them about it.
What started as a leap of faith into an emerging audio landscape has evolved into a mature product supporting Army professional development. “Breaking Doctrine” has helped bridge the gap between doctrine writers and operational leaders on topics from tactical to strategic.
In 2020, CADD’s Special Doctrine Division Chief Telford “Ted” Crisco was looking for new ways to engage with the force. A conversation with a colleague working at the Army Distance Learning Program sparked an idea: start a podcast.
"I didn't even know what a podcast was in 2020," Crisco said. "But I started looking into it, and I was like, 'Yeah, we could do that. That might help us reach out.'"
Armed with three USB microphones and a laptop computer running rudimentary audio software, Crisco and his team set to work. The inaugural episode tackled a topic that CADD authors believed was confusing to the force: the difference between the terms “mission command” and “command and control.” Featuring an outline written by then-Maj. Chris Parker and insights from CADD Director Rich Creed and C2 Division Chief Chuck Schrankel, the episode debuted on June 11, 2020.
"We didn't exactly know what the response was going to be ... it was one of those 'Field of Dreams' things," Crisco said. "We put it out there, and people flocked to it. I was absolutely overwhelmed with the response. People were looking for that kind of stuff."
For the Soldiers hosting the podcast, “Breaking Doctrine” offered a unique professional development opportunity. Maj. Wyatt Harper, former host and one of the initial creators of “Breaking Doctrine,” said he was drawn to the platform to explore several “passion projects” tied to the Army’s then-new operating concept of multidomain operations.
"I thought the best way to support that effort was to hit that subject from multiple angles," he said. Harper, now a strategist at U.S. Army North, said the most interesting part of hosting was discovering the "behind the scenes stories to how we came to decide on what to place in doctrine." To him, the most challenging aspect was finding the right guests.
"Of course, the primary authors are great, but you want a practitioner of the doctrine to speak for the operational force," he said. "Whenever the show would spark debate, the subsequent event was that the listener picked up the actual doctrine and supporting literature to support their claim. At which point, “Breaking Doctrine” had served its purpose."
As the podcast grew, so did its mission. When retired Lt. Col. Nikki Dean joined CADD as a doctrine author and podcast host, she saw an opportunity not just to educate Soldiers, but to make the military's complex language understandable to a broader audience.
"Breaking down complex tactics and techniques, ones that we have captured in our manuals for the force, for a broader audience, demystifies the language around combat operations,” she said. “Making the language of war easily understood by those who might not directly engage in military operations is a small step to bridging a fairly wide civilian-military divide in our society.”
For Dean, who now works as a military education and interpretation specialist at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, the podcast provided an opportunity to foster a conversation with doctrine writers and practitioners.
It also gives listeners, “a peek behind the curtain on how the Army captures lessons, tests those best practices, and then makes them into something everyone can understand or use, regardless of whether they wear a uniform or not,” said Dean.
Former host and UH-60 pilot Lt. Col. Lisa Becker, current commander of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, described her time with “Breaking Doctrine” as both rewarding and challenging.
“If I had the time, I’d love to go back and listen to the episodes that I hosted,” she said. “I venture to guess I’d be able to hear a shift, where I went from ‘doing my job in front of a mic is intimidating’ to ‘wow, my job is to just have a conversation with a bunch of really intelligent people!’”
"We talk about broadening assignments in the Army, and this was definitely a broadening experience for me," she said. "These podcast conversations really widened my understanding across warfighting functions and challenged my grasp of multidomain operations and fighting in large-scale combat operations.”
Harper also viewed his time as host as a positive experience.
"On a personal level people who learn I was part of the program have always been impressed and shout 'I love BD!'” he said. “There’s such a rich history surrounding the Army and it’s all written in our doctrine. You just have to uncover the 'why'."
Becker highlighted Episode 86, “The Warfighter’s Role in Triage, CASEVAC, and DNBI," with Maj. Gen. Michael Murray and Episode 45, “Defending Our Homeland: DOD's #1 Priority,” with retired Lt. Gen. Thomas Evans as personal favorites. Harper’s favorite episode was an interview with former INDOPACOM commander Gen. Charles Flynn on campaigning in the theater.
Dean had difficulty picking a favorite episode, but she noted that being able to invite some of her subject matter expert friends on the program was valuable.
“Asking someone, regardless of their rank or service, how they personally use doctrine forces a doctrine writer to come to terms with the monster they create. What's the purpose of a book if no one reads it? My friends held up a mirror to me and my work when we talked on those episodes,” she said.
Over 100 episodes, the team at Breaking Doctrine has hosted a wide array of guests. Crisco said he is unafraid to send cold emails to general officers to invite them on the show. Regardless of rank, however, he holds every guest to the same standard.
"We're not here to talk about your command philosophy. We're not here for your agendas," he said. "We're here to talk about the subject and how it relates to doctrine."
While Crisco and the Special Doctrine Division team look toward the future, the podcast has at least one fan who is using the platform to enhance military history education. Dean said she regularly incorporates “Breaking Doctrine” episodes into her lesson plans for ROTC cadets, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College students, and unit staff rides.
“We might be talking about a historic global conflict when you come into my classroom, but we're gonna use the language of current tactics and techniques to reinforce your professional education!” she said.
Through 100 episodes of unscripted, professional dialogue, “Breaking Doctrine” has shown that the Army's foundational texts don't have to stay trapped on a dusty bookshelf. They just need the right conversation to bring them to life.
To learn more about the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate and access the complete archive of Breaking Doctrine podcasts, visit https://usacac.army.mil/organizations/mccoe/cadd.
| Date Taken: | 05.15.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2026 10:07 |
| Story ID: | 565386 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 16 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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